UAE reinforces digital media presence

The UAE has reinforced its presence in the world of digital media, through innovative strategies that have helped to convey its message locally and internationally.

The UAE’s digital media is being supported by many senior officials. The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, declared in March 2013, a new ministerial formation through Twitter, as he is keen to notify citizens and residents regularly about the outcomes of cabinet meetings that he presides over and highlight the importance of its decisions and their impact on their lives.

A study by the National Media Council, NMC, entitled, 'Public Confidence in the UAE Media', revealed that Facebook is the main source of news for 22 percent of the Emirati public while, newspapers account for 12 percent, while Twitter and news websites account for ten percent each of viewership numbers.

The UAE is the leading country in the world in terms of internet use in relation to total population, with 99 percent of its residents using the internet, according to a recent report published by "Husting Facts" website.

The UAE's advertising market highlight the considerable presence of digital media and its impact on national public opinion, and a new survey showed that 43 percent of Emirati advertisers spent up to US$10,000 per campaign on social media.

Research conducted by YouGov Omnibus for BPG Cohn & Wolfe has revealed that 94 percent of in-house marketers in the UAE believe social media influencer marketing is very significant for the success of their brands.

Active accounts on social media in the UAE number 19.3 million, according to a report on the state of social communication in 2018 that was conducted by "Crowd Analysis," in partnership with "Hotspot."

The report also showed that active social media accounts in the UAE are distributed between 8.5 million Facebook users, 3.5 million LinkedIn users, 3.3 million Instagram users, 2 million Twitter users, and 2 million Snapchat users. It showed that Facebook represents 44 percent of active accounts on social media, which are distributed between 6.3 million males and 2.2 million females while LinkedIn accounts for 18.1 percent of social media users.

The report also revealed that Instagram accounts for 17 percent of active social media accounts, with 2.1 million male users and 1.3 million female users, Twitter accounts for 10.3 percent of active social media accounts, with 1.3 million males and around 700,000 females, while Snapchat accounts for 10.3 percent of active accounts, with 825,000 males and around one million females.